A B.C. goaltender has signed a contract with a National Hockey League (NHL) team.
Callum Tung, who previously played for the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League's (VIJHL) Port Alberni Bombers and the B.C. Hockey League's (BCHL) Alberni Valley Bulldogs, has agreed to terms with the New York Rangers on a three-year, entry-level contract. Tung will report to the Hartford Wolf Pack on an amateur tryout (ATO) for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Tung, from Port Moody, British Columbia, played in the Bombers' inaugural season in 2021-2022. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player after posting a 0.951 save percentage in seven playoff games.
He then joined the Bulldogs, where he appeared in 43 games and finished with a 24-15-2 regular season record, 2.87 goals-against average and a 0.914 save percentage. In the postseason, he had a 2.16 goals-against average and a 0.939 save percentage.
Tung played with the University of Connecticut Huskies (Hockey East) this season, posting a 10-4-1 record, 2.01 goals-against average, and 0.933 save percentage in 15 games, leading the team to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. Tung finished his season at UConn with the sixth-best save percentage among collegiate goaltenders, 12th best goals-against average and tied for the 13th best win percentage (0.700). His save percentage ranked second among Hockey East goaltenders and his goals-against average ranked third.
Tung allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of his 15 appearances this season.
In the most recent episode of the podcast "32 Thoughts," NHL insider Elliotte Friedman called Tung “a really talented young goaltender” and said a number of NHL teams have expressed interest in him.
“People were drooling about him,” Friedman said. “The expectation is he’s going to have an opportunity to go right away, and probably will.”
